The NFL Report: Lamar Jackson Questionable Against Bengals + Saints vs Steelers in France Preview

0:02 All right, we got some international French flair on our radar. An exclusive interview with Roger Goodell, who's got some news about a potential NFL game in an Asian city that has never hosted a regular season game before. The Ravens coming off a loss without their two-time MVP. Lamar Jackson, he spoke to reporters today. Hear what the quarterback is saying about his ankle injury and his status for Sunday against Cincinnati. And there are some absolutely ginormous Week 7 games.

0:29 What to make of Darnold versus Mahomes? And can Jordan Love keep his Packers hot.

0:34 Against a Lions team that absolutely needs a win?

0:43 And welcome to a brand new edition of NFL Report.

0:45 I'm Mike Yam.

0:46 My buddy Nick Shook is going to be joining me in just a bit. We'll go through some of these significant games on the Week 7 slate. Some also significant injury news. to wide receiver Pooka Nakul. We got that coming up in just a few moments. Not to mention Roger Goodell, an exclusive interview you do not want to miss.

1:01 But headlines, that's how we kick things off. First, Lamar Jackson. I missed the last two games in the Ravens. Well, they're hosting the Bengals on Sunday. Here's the good news. Out on that practice field, told reporters he was in a lot of pain coming off that injury and couldn't actually run last week.

1:16 He wasn't done talking.

1:19 I'm heading in the right direction. I can't call it right now. You know, I've still got a grace period. So we'll see, man, hopefully. But I feel like I'm heading in the right direction right now.

1:30 I think it was reported that this isn't a high ankle sprain.

1:33 It's not a low ankle sprain.

1:34 I mean, is it the deltoid medial sprain?

1:38 I thought it was a high ankle sprain. So who said that?

1:40 And Rappaport said that?

1:41 He part of the training staff? So we can't go off in Rappaport, you know?

1:49 He's just reporting.

1:50 Somebody probably told him that too, though, so can't blame him. But nah, man, my style told me it was a hot anchor spring, so we going with what Adrian told me. I'm not going with Ian told me. I'm just being honest.

2:03 Something tells me Adrian's following on social media not as big as Ian Rappaport's. Meanwhile, some news regarding this Rams squad. Poconacua calf injury. That is not a good thing for a Rams team that's struggling right now. Trent McDuffie did not practice today. Listed as questionable. Nate Landman out with a concussion. Keep in mind, Kobe Turner already on IR.

2:22 This is the walking wounded in a matchup. against the Raiders. More on that game with Nick Shook coming up in just a minute. Here, we've heard the story before. The Niners, another star that's dealing with an injury. Mike Evans left Monday night's game at the end of the first half, aggravating the Achilles that he's been dealing with, that injury.

2:39 He's out for the game in Atlanta. Certainly not good news from a San Francisco perspective as they continue to try to stay perfect on the year. Not so perfect, the Tampa Bay Bucs sit at 1-5, a huge divisional game against the Panthers. Baker Mayfield will return Sunday after a three-week absence. Remember, he had dislocated that thumb in week number three. He's been practicing with a specially made glove on the right hand that's got a pad on the back so that the thumb won't bend backwards again.

3:06 That would be a.

3:07 Win when you're dealing with some injuries like he is. Boy, that offense certainly could use a boost. Meanwhile, some Thursday night football action for you. Here we go, fans in Chicago. First game that they've had in the city since Mike Ditka's passing. Pick things up here with a little explosive play.

3:26 Drake made a remontre. Stevenson, 48 yards.

3:29 To the house.

3:29 Stevenson had five catches, 93 yards, and a touchdown. May, by the way, just in case you're wondering, continuing on that offensive tear, three total touchdowns in this one.

3:40 Fourth quarter.

3:41 It's a third and nine here. Need a big play. Caleb delivering it. How about that strike? Roma dunes it for 21. Roma would actually have another 21-yard catch two plays later. Caleb threw for 308 in this one and two touchdowns. That would set up this. Skyro Santos from 56. Ooh, that's distance. Boy, could have backed that up a couple more yards, and I think that still would have been good.

4:04 An important win for the Iceman and the Chicago Bears team. and been a red-hot Pats squad. Keep in mind, they had won three consecutive games. But there was some bad news from a Chicago perspective. Cole Komet on the injured reserve. Season is over. That is not a good thing. And also, Roger Goodell lifting the suspension of Montez Sweat reinstated after a two-game absence. So they'll have to navigate some of those issues as well. Looking forward to this one. Patrick Mahomes, you can make a case. Chiefs right now, best team in the AFC. Sam Darnold, Boy, he's had some issues.

4:38 This must-see television. Darnold, as many.

4:40 Touchdown passes as interceptions so far this season.

4:43 That's 7-7.

4:44 Sam knows he's got to protect that football against a Kansas City defense ready to pin their ears back.

4:51 I stand up here every week and I feel like I say, you know, they're... their scheme is really good and they play really well in that scheme and they play fast. But I think that last part is, is the most impressive part to me is they play really fast. And, you know, I think a lot of times like they, they attack offenses and they don't allow the offense to attack them. And I think that's, that's a hallmark of a great defense. So we're going to be ready and have a great plan.

5:17 I hope that is the case.

5:18 Cause this is Seattle team that would love to get in the wind column, column and get it done and make a, Kind of a statement here against the Kansas City squad. Nick Schuchat, NFL.com, is with me right now. Also, the guy that puts together power rankings, which, by the way, you can catch on Tuesday. I mean, this is just pretty going through all the teams. I keep this with me every single week because I like to know where you have your team slotted. Actually, Kansas City, by the way, second overall team in your rankings. Seattle sits at 10.

5:42 This is probably the best opportunity, though. for Kansas City to really show they're one of the premier teams.

5:47 In the NFL. Yeah, definitely. It's definitely one of their best tests of the season so far.

5:50 And it's also a really good test of can the Seahawks overcome their own challenges that drop them almost out of the top 10 entirely in the power rankings.

5:57 But I don't think it's going to go the Seahawks way.

5:59 I know this isn't our pick segment, but I think that the Chiefs have the advantage here. And it all starts with the former Seahawk, Kenneth Walker, who has 665 rushing yards so far. just more than the entire Seattle Seahawks backfield total this season in one fewer game.

6:12 That's how good he's been for the Chiefs.

6:14 He's been so essential to balancing out this offense that it's not overly reliant on Patrick Mahomes. And against a defense like the dark side defense in Seattle, I think that this is going to be such a challenge for them that the Chiefs aren't really going to have to worry too much about that elite defense. Again, though, it'll be one of their biggest tests of this year. I expect the Chiefs to continue to be excellent and.

6:32 Come out on top.

6:33 A little bit of a revenge game right now for Kenneth Walker against his former squad. No fumbles on the season for Walker has been a game changer for that team's offense. Just for context, the Seahawks, they're running backs combining for six fumbles and they've lost four of them.

6:45 That's not good news.

6:46 More from you on some of these week seven games still to come here on NFL Report. The Saints meanwhile have been practicing in Versailles, France.

6:53 It just sounds good.

6:54 All week ahead of this big matchup against the Steelers in Paris. For what it's worth, Steelers got there today. NFL Daily's Greg Rosenthal, Jordan Rogreed, there for the game. And they caught up with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

7:07 We are here with Commissioner Roger Goodell, about two feet away from me. We're in a hotel room in Paris. This is a little surreal, Jordan.

7:14 I cannot believe we're in Paris. I'm sure it hasn't quite even sunk in for you yet, but watching the Saints take such advantage of this opportunity where they have the marketing rights and, you know, flying in here and seeing how, I mean, the Eiffel Tower and everything there is, what has this been like for you and how have the Saints really embraced this opportunity?

7:34 Well, they're the perfect team here. Because of their connection, obviously, to France. And they take such great pride in that. And I think that's part of the culture. And that connection is going to be wonderful for this event. But having the Steelers here, too, is pretty cool. They're a global brand and obviously have a lot of fans on a worldwide basis. And it's going to be a great football game, which is what counts, too.

8:02 Yeah, I never expected to be here in Paris covering an NFL game. But we have a huge international audience. About 35% of our listeners are overseas.

8:15 Well, after today, we'll make it 40%.

8:16 We'll try to make it a little more. I've been coming here for about a decade in terms of Europe. It was London. And that got me thinking, how important is the international TV rights and the media rights when it comes to trying to grow this game?

8:33 Well, they're all important, whether it's your partnerships in the media or sponsorships or, frankly, playing the games. But they all have to be coordinated. They all have to work together. But ultimately, as you know, even in the States, the media partners are the ones that give you the greatest access to the fans, ultimately. And you all do that, right?

8:55 You get to learn a lot more about the game, the players, the strategy, what's happening in the league. So media partnerships are really critical to us. And we look for the best media partners, as many as we can, and have that global reach and to be able to give fans the best experience possible, whatever platform.

9:14 They want to watch on.

9:15 Yeah.

9:15 And Roger Goodell admitted right before we got on here, NFL Daily listener and viewer.

9:21 So thank you so.

9:22 Much for that.

9:22 I'm working on that 40 percent for you, too, even though it doesn't count as an international one.

9:26 Yeah, I want to hear what your favorite segments are later. Peter O'Reilly, your colleague, said this week, you know, they are looking for potentially 10 international games next season that that's the maximum allowed under the cba wondering if you want to help us out and give a little exclusive of maybe where some of them could be and ideally like tokyo because i'll have a free place to stay there with my in-laws very close to the old nfl offices.

9:56 If you want to go wow you know you're ahead of us that would be fun um listen tokyo is clearly on um on our list uh whether it's next year or the year after um it's coming at some point in the near future As we continue to look at, we're going to focus, continue to focus on our priority markets, which a lot of them they've been in, but there are other cities. This year, we went to Rio rather than Sao Paulo. Australia was off the charts on a Friday morning at 10.30. To have 100,000 people in the stadium, it was just an incredible experience for us. I think it's opened up new opportunities for us. The travel is something we think we can manage and do it without impacting negatively on the teams. So each of these, we

10:45 learn something from and we benefit. And we also, I think, open those other doors. So we're playing and I'm playing globally. That's where we're going.

10:55 Holding you to that.

10:55 Take us with you.

10:58 Roger, I love flag football, so I can't let you get out of here without a flag football question. Yeah, me too. I've been so enjoying watching the growth, stateside and internationally, of the sport. It's fascinating, LA 28 obviously coming up too. What have been the catalysts for that growth in your mind, some of the keys to that expansion as much as we've seen?

11:18 Well, you know, the thing that I probably get the greatest– benefit from, and I guess it's a reward, is watching young people play our sport. Because there's so many great things you get from playing the sport. It's the competence, it's the ability to compete, it's the ability to come through resilience, and teamwork is so important in our game, as you know. And as a father of two girls, to see young women playing our sport, it's even more rewarding because I think it is particularly during those more difficult years for all of us and growing up, it gives you that ability to sort of understand yourself a little better and give yourself self-confidence. So I think it's a future of sports because we are seeing men and

12:08 women compete and we're seeing them compete together in some cases in flag football, which has been fun to watch also. It's accessible and I think it's a way for kids to really truly understand about this game, but more importantly, themselves.

12:24 So I wanted to thank you, Roger Goodell. You don't know this.

12:27 We're birthday buddies.

12:29 We are both February 19th.

12:30 Is that right?

12:30 I don't think the same year, though.

12:32 Not the same year.

12:33 February 19th.

12:33 You might be surprised by that, actually.

12:35 Oh, really?

12:36 I don't think so.

12:37 On our old podcast, we used to joke. Chris Wessling, our late friend, great podcaster. We all shared February 19th. We used to say the three most important people in the NFL. Really holding up myself, Chris, and you.

12:50 Well, I appreciate you putting me in that group.

12:52 Yeah, now he's got his name on our studio. But speaking for him, we thank you for holding up your end of the bargain.

12:59 Thank you.

13:00 I'll do my best.

13:01 Now that I know I have that kind of pressure.

13:06 Oh, great conversation there. And I think about what could happen, at least with that game in Tokyo. I think there's a lot of buzz inside our office about who would like to go.

13:14 Raise your hand. I'll raise mine as well.

13:16 Let's focus in on this matchup, Bill, that we have in Paris. We've got a Steelers squad matching up, obviously, against the Saints. Take me through this. Aaron Rodgers had said this off of the win against the Bucs. He said this is a transformative win that can change the trajectory of our season. They came back to win that game.

13:30 How do they win this one?

13:31 I think they have to follow suit with what they did well in the second half of this win over Tampa, which is be willing to adjust within the flow of the game, except that the things that you like to do most are not working against this given opponent. and then turn towards something else. What they did in that game was adjusting to the short pass. After Aaron Rodgers had held onto the ball longer than he did last season, he'd taken more deep shots than he did last season, they decided we're taking the short game the rest of the way home, all the way to victory. He was 11 of 15 in the fourth quarter for 87 yards and a touchdown. Just 9.5% of his 35 pass attempts in that game.

14:00 Were over 10 air yards. So they just took the short game.

14:03 You can do that against this Saints defense as well, and then you let your defense get after Tyler Shuck and the New Orleans offense.

14:09 It's kind of remarkable, man, the way that we were thinking about the Saints team offensively to start the season and how things have cooled. I know they just picked up a win, but the reality is I think there's still more questions than answers regarding this New Orleans team. Jordan Love and the Packers, they've won three straight games. Remember, they started one and two, getting a Lions team who they swept a season ago. Detroit coming off the bye.

14:30 They get this one at home. Dan Campbell gave us the scouting report on this Packers team.

14:36 That whole team is trended. I mentioned this. These last two weeks, they've really, you know, taken off. And the defense is dangerous, man. I mentioned they play as one unit. That's what you see. They play as one unit. This will be a big challenge, you know. But I mentioned this earlier. We're looking forward to this. I mean, this is as good as it gets, man. You know, you're getting a team in your division that's playing as good as anybody in the NFL right now. And we got a chance to get them.

15:05 Explain to me how you pick against that dude and his team.

15:09 That's a hard time because I'd run through a brick wall for Dan Campbell. But I am picking against him. I'm picking the Packers because in this matchup, it is a divisional game. It's an opportunity for the Lions to kind of climb back into the discussion. We've kind of left them out of it because of the Vikings and the Bears and the Packers' latest hot run. But in this game, I trust one defense more than the other.

15:26 And that is the Green Bay Packers defense. It's an opportunistic unit. It's a secondary that loves to get after the football in the air. It's not just Xavier McKinney. It's Evan Williams. You can continue to go down the list. Brandon Cisse. They're all making plays. The Lions defense has had one good game, and it was against the lowly Arizona Cardinals. So I know the Lions are able to put up a lot of points. So are the Packers.

15:45 I give the edge to the cheeseheads.

15:46 All right, I'm not totally against you on this one, but keep in mind, Green Bay, you should talk about this team's defense. Last three opponents, Tampa Bay, Chicago, and Dallas. That was a Tampa Bay team without Baker, no Caleb. The Dallas win, that is impressive.

15:58 Most impressive, yeah.

15:58 No question.

15:59 All three of those opponents under 14 points or fewer. There's something to what's cooking right now, but coming off a bye at home in a divisional game, that to me would scare me just a bit. By the way, Josh Jacobs, if you want some more reinforcements to your argument, on track to play in this game.

16:13 Yeah, and if they can get their running game going, they'll be a much better team.

16:15 Yeah, just once again, one of those matchups that really has our... our attention another one by the way we've been going back and forth on some of these games normally we agree on a lot of them it's another one that we're disagreeing on how about this ram squad in real trouble right now considering what we thought this team was going to be there two and four on the year just for context the rams did make the playoffs in 2024 when they started one and four and by the way that stretch also included a loss to the cardinals they're banged up at the rating mvp matthew stafford this dude has got his mind right.

16:45 Every year is different, every game is different. You can't sit there and go, because we did X, we're gonna do Y. But we obviously know what it takes to win football games. We have enough guys on this roster that know what it takes to win. And that starts today, right? We can't sit there and look big picture and go, okay, we have X amount of games left. These guys are doing that, whatever. That's not the mindset at all around here.

17:04 It's how can we be as good as we can day in and day out? How can we go compete every single day so that Sunday when we turn the tape on, we're proud of how we competed, how we played, how we went about our business.

17:13 And live with the results.

17:14 And I think that's the mindset of this group. You know, and if we do that, I think we're going to like the results more often.

17:20 Than we don't.

17:22 I don't want to put words in your mouth.

17:24 I'm not saying that you think the Raiders are a better team, but just because they're healthier.

17:28 Oh, you're wrong.

17:29 Okay.

17:29 I mean, they're banged up.

17:31 The Rams right now are not healthy, and that is abundantly clear. But to me, you still like this Vegas squad, who, by the way, the teams that they're beating are not exactly world beaters. I think the combined record is like 2-15.

17:41 That is their combined record, and you're right. And that's a very good case against why you would want to take the Raiders in this game. But I am taking the Raiders because I don't know if you noticed in that clip of Matthew Stafford there, it sounded like it was a little bit of that torrential random downpour we got in the L.A. area on Wednesday and Thursday, right?

17:53 It's pouring on the Rams when it comes to injuries, when it comes to all the adversity. They can't stop the downpour, and they've lost a number of key guys. Puka Nakua and Trent McDuffie are questionable for this game, but you lost Devonta Adams. You still don't have Miles Garrett. Nate Landman, who's been very crucial to this defense, he's not going to play on Sunday because he's out due to a concussion.

18:11 We're on the Raiders side.

18:11 Kobe Turner, too.

18:12 Yes, Kobe Turner. I mean, it continues.

18:14 They exited their last game with a number of injuries that could be devastating to lesser teams.

18:19 They're still a good football team. But the Raiders have one thing in their pocket that is at their advantage.

18:23 They can put up points. They're sixth in offensive points per game at 27 per game. Yes, their three wins were against teams that are combined 2-15. That was Miami, the Chargers, and the Saints. Their losses, though, were really respectable losses. You know, it's Kansas City.

18:35 It's New England. It's Buffalo.

18:36 Only one of those games were they not competitive in it. They've been entertaining. Five games with 26-plus points scored. They've also allowed 27-plus points in four games. But if we look at the Rams right now. How did they lose that game to the Cardinals last week? They lost to a Cardinals team that didn't find the end zone the entire afternoon. All field goals off the foot of Chad Ryland.

18:55 That is a sign to me that this is a Rams team that admitted they lack identity and overall haven't really found some sort of rhythm that can carry them from one week to the next. So against an exciting and high-powered Raiders team, I like what Vegas is bringing out there.

19:06 Don't we say to ourselves, if you are inside that Rams locker room, this is as much of a must-win. I mean, the percentage is there's only so much time left in the in the regular season two and four in this division with the Niners who are perfect right now in a Seattle team. let's be honest, still one of the better teams in the NFL. This is a winnable game that they have to get.

19:25 I have been in a building like this.

19:27 The 2019 Browns where the expectations were sky high and they were not a good football team. It really starts to build and wear on you after a while.

19:33 They got to turn it around.

19:34 It's feeling heavy right now for this Ram squad. By the way, you talk about that rain pour. I'm from the Northeast. You would have thought I was melting in the rain.

19:41 Oh yeah.

19:41 Just get, you get used to it here.

19:43 Early game picks.

19:44 This normally it's usually one to two, maybe three games that we disagree on there. actually quite a few here overall for the slate we obviously disagree on what's going to happen in paris not to mention the the ravens um i i was like well is lamar playing you said no no no conditions here you just got you just got to roll with it i'm rolling with baltimore on this one detroit at home i like that and then Chiefs-Seahawks, Sunday Night Football, that's must-see television, man.

20:08 We're on opposite ends of the spectrum.

20:09 Absolutely, and I'm glad we covered it already, but I really feel really good about this Chiefs team. This is probably the best Chiefs team we've seen in the last five or seven years.

20:15 By the way, same sort of rationale on the Rams. Seattle, got to figure it out. Hold on to the football, no more turnovers. All right, NFL Plus Premium. I talk about this every single show, and for good reason, because you can get NFL Red Zone, you can watch every touchdown, every Sunday afternoon during the regular season. We got game replays for you, and you can track advanced analytics every powered by NextGen Stats with NFL Pro. You can sign up today at plus.nfl.com slash fast. Terms and conditions apply.

20:43 I mean, if you're not, I'm like glued to the NFL Plus app. I know I work in the league.

20:47 CJ Stroud cut-ups from his great game against Jacksonville. How do you not love that?

20:51 Sign me up for it. That's why I actually have it. Injuries for you. We talked about this earlier. Lamar Jackson still questionable with the ankle injury. Brees Hall also questionable. And Puka, it sounds like he's going to have to go, according to Nick, because he's picking the Raiders. He's questionable with that calf injury. But Mike Evans, obviously, one of those headliner stories. He is out for that matchup. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about the Monday night matchup between Dallas and Philadelphia.

21:15 Two teams, two and four. Expectations were to win this division. I don't know who I trust more in this game. It almost feels like whoever's healthier maybe has the advantage.

21:25 Or who do you trust less when it comes to quarterback, at least? I kind of lean toward trusting Dak Prescott more than Tanner McKee. No offense to Tanner McKee, who I thought had a pretty strong showing in that loss to Carolina.

21:35 Last week, all things considered.

21:37 He looked better than he did in his only regular season appearance last week. But when I look at these two teams, I think about a low ceiling Eagles offense right now against a bad Cowboys defense. Well, that kind of cancels each other out. So what do we have left? We have this Cowboys offense that's supposed to be explosive.

21:49 That's supposed to be capable of putting a ton of points on the board and wasn't able to against Green Bay. Can they do it against this Eagles defense, which remains the Eagles strength?

21:56 I'm not sure.

21:57 But when it comes to this rivalry, things get weird. Usually Dallas is very good at home in this rivalry. They're playing this game in Philadelphia. So that makes it a little weirder. I'm still siding with the Cowboys by only one point.

22:08 I'm with you here.

22:09 I mean, it does.

22:10 It's felt like feast or famine for this Dallas Cowboys offense at times, which to me is a worrisome ingredient. You talk about what could happen on a Monday night matchup.

22:19 But you're right. This game in Philadelphia.

22:21 Who knows?

22:21 Maybe Nick Sirianni's got something they can pull. Out of that bag of tricks, they're going to need it in a big way. Keep in mind, it's significant, man. We've got some quick hits for you and some news. And I say it's significant because anytime you talk about Patrick Sertan maybe playing, that's what you want to hear if you're a Denver fan. Questionable with the ankle injury ahead of that matchup against Arizona. Limited participant in practice, including what transpired today. All right, Josh Jacobs, I name-checked this a little bit earlier when we were talking about Green Bay and Detroit. On track to play against the Lions, he was removed off the commissioner's exempt list. This is according to Matt LaFleur. My God, they need a running game.

22:58 He would help them tremendously coming outside of that backfield. And also, and I know you were excited about this, it's a national holiday, National Tight Ends Day. It's maybe the biggest thing that the NFL does. But you want to pay some homage to those guys.

23:13 The biggest thing.

23:14 I mean, we have some other initiatives, I think, salute to service, crucial catch. But National Titans Day is a fun day. It's one that's inspired by George Kittle. It's been spread throughout. There's also Titan U, the offseason camp. Titans are in vogue right now. They've never been more valuable in football, and they've never been more dynamic and versatile.

23:30 you know you think back to some of the greats of past years they were the only guy that was capable of blocking and passing now everybody can block and catch and make big plays so we'll celebrate then this even if it feels like sweetest day to me we're still going to celebrate.

23:42 Well i told you this off air national tight ends day feels like valentine's day in the sense of it's like not really like a real real holiday but it's.

23:50 One that we all acknowledge and have to celebrate for one reason or another one of those.

23:54 And by the way the tight ends especially because it's kiddo like You want it to be fun, and George always makes it interesting. Something tells me he might find the end zone in Atlanta on National Tight Ends Day.

24:03 We'll see you on Sunday for game day preview. Thanks for watching.