Giants quarterback Daniel Jones offered a rare angry outburst after a failed fourth-quarter two-point conversion in which none of the blockers blocked, simply watching Jones throw the ball.
It felt emblematic of the night.
The offense would do something right and then take two steps backward due to miscues and plenty of sloppy, penalty-filled football. Following that play, Jones was visibly upset on the sidelines, flailing his arms at one point in conference with coach Brian Daboll.
Jones was sacked four times, with the offensive line struggling to protect him from TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. Late in the fourth quarter, the defense forced a fumble with game-tying potential, but right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor couldn’t hold off Watt, who forced a fumble of his own.
Jones went 24-for-38 for 264 yards and an interception.
Este lunes se entregará el prestigioso galardón a lo mejor del mundo del futbol en el año.
Este lunes 28 de octubre se celebrará la gala del Balón de Oro 2024, prestigioso galardón que entrega la revista France Football al mejor futbolista del mundo en el año. La ceremonia, con sede en Theatre du Chatelet de París. Francia, iniciará a las 13:00 horas tiempo de México (15:00 horas ET) y se estima que tenga una duración de alrededor de tres horas.
La edición 2024 del Balón de Oro marcará el final de una era que estuvo dominada por Cristiano Ronaldo y por Lionel Messi, pues después de 21 años, ni el futbolista luso ni el argentino están en la lista de nominados del prestigioso reconocimiento individual.
Lionel Messi, el máximo ganador de dicho galardón con ocho, fue el Balón de Oro de la edición 2023, en la que Erling Haaland quedó en la segunda posición, mientras que Kylian Mbappé quedó en el tercer peldaño.
¿A qué hora y por dónde ver la transmisión del Balón de Oro 2024?
La ceremonia del Balón de Oro 2024 comenzará a las 13:00 horas de este lunes 28 de octubre, tiempo de la Ciudad de México (15:00 horas ET) y la transmisión se podrá seguir por TNT.
El mediocampista del Manchester City terminó con la racha de 64 años sin que un español ganara el reconocimiento.
Rodri ganó el Balón de Oro 2024, prestigioso premio que otorga la revista France Football al mejor futbolista de la temporada. El jugador del Manchester City terminó con la racha de 64 años sin que un español obtuviera dicha distinción, luego de que Luis Suárez, con el Barcelona, lo ganó en la edición de 1960.
El Balón de Oro 2024 evalúa lo hecho en el 2023 y 2024, tiempo en el que Rodri presume cinco títulos obtenidos, tres de ellos a nivel de clubes con Manchester City: Premier League, Mundial de Clubes y la Supercopa de Europa, además de la UEFA Nations League y la Eurocopa que ganó con la selección de España.
A pesar de que Rodri solo marcó un tanto en la Eurocopa 2024, mismo que le marcó a Georgia en los octavos de final, fue elegido como el mejor futbolista de la edición del torneo de la UEFA, en el que destacaron la precisión de pases del español con 92.84 por ciento.
¿Cuándo había sido la última vez que un español ganó el Balón de Oro?
Rodri terminó con la racha de 64 años sin que un español ganara el Balón de Oro. La última vez había sucedido en la edición de 1960, en la que el Luis Suárez, como futbolista de Barcelona, ganó dicho reconocimiento, luego de que el nacido La Coruña ganó LaLiga con los blaugranas de la temporada 1959/1960.
¿Cuántos españoles han ganado el Balón de Oro?
Rodri se convirtió en el segundo futbolista nacido en España en ganar el Balón de Oro. Antes de que lo consiguiera el jugador del Manchester City, lo había ganado Luis Suárez en la edición 1960, quien, hasta el 2024, era el único en obtenerlo.
Alfredo Di Stéfano, ganador del Balón de Oro en 1957 y 1959, nació en Buenos Aires, Argentina, pero, a pesar de que jugó para la Albiceleste, se naturalizó español en 1956, situación que le permitió participar por dicho galardón, pues en ese momento el reconocimiento solo era para futbolistas europeos.
Ganadores del Balón de Oro 2024:
–Mejor jugador joven (Trofeo Kopa): Lamine Yamal.
–Equipo femenil del año: Barcelona.
–Equipo varonil del año: Real Madrid.
–Máximo goleador (Trofeo Gerd Müller): Harry Kane y Kylian Mbappé.
News of Tyler, the Creator’s seventh album came as something of a surprise: it arrived a matter of months after he announced on social media that he wouldn’t be releasing any new music this year. The promotional campaign over the last couple of weeks suggested that Chromakopia would be a high-concept piece of work, the kind of album that takes listeners a long time to fully unpick. It involved a succession of mysterious videos that shifted from the sepia tones of an old TV show into full colour, sometimes – but not always – featuring the rapper wearing a mask and a military uniform: directing a platoon of men into a shipping container with the album’s title emblazoned on its side, which he then blew up; barging his way through a crowd of people before being assailed by a fan whose enthusiasm turns into a kind of eye-rolling madness and whose phone becomes a gun; rapping on top of a military aircraft within which his masked alter ego lurks, glowering. Speculation as to what it all meant followed, as it was clearly intended to: one frequently floated theory was that the album would involve the debut of new persona, possibly based on a character from the classic children’s novel The Phantom Tollbooth.
But, like the announcement that no new music was forthcoming, the business with the mask appears to be misdirection, at least as far as an alter ego is concerned. Lyrically, Chromakopia gives every impression of being both prosaic and personal: it feels somehow telling that none of the album’s guest artists – Lil Wayne and Childish Gambino among them – have been listed on streaming services, as if trumpeting their presence would distract from its inward-looking mood. There’s stuff about the pressures of fame (Noid and Rat Tah Tah prickle with distrust of everyone from Tyler, the Creator’s accountants to his fans) and a swaggering dismissal of his critics on Thought I Was Dead, but the main lyrical themes that run through it are the kind of worries that tend to beset people at that point in your 30s where it becomes abundantly clear to even the most ostensibly irresponsible and carefree individual that you’re now an adult. Whether your failure to find a lasting relationship thus far means you’re fated to live the rest of your life alone; whether parenthood is something you’re capable of embracing; whether you’re doomed to repeat the mistakes made by your own parents; whether the career you’ve been pursuing is sufficiently rewarding in and of itself.
These are seldom easy questions to answer, which perhaps accounts for why Chromakopia sounds so unsettled. The lyrics double back and contradict themselves – switching from boastful self-aggrandisement to crippling self-doubt and loathing, sometimes in the space of a single verse. On Tomorrow he goes from loudly proclaiming his free-spiritedness – “I don’t like cages, I’d rather be flooding” – to confessing a sort of despairing emptiness: “All I got is photos of my ’Rari and some silly suits.”
Elsewhere, its tracks have a tendency to end up in the last place you expect. Judge Judy starts out as a standard-issue sex rhyme – “body rubs, bondage and cream pies” – complete with a backing track peppered with orgasmic moans, but ends with a suicide note, while Like Him ponders the topic of paternal abandonment before winding up with the voice of Tyler, the Creator’s mother, informing him that it’s her fault he never met his father. On Take Your Mask Off, he admonishes a succession of figures for living a lie, from a homophobe who turns out to be a closeted homosexual to a wealthy but unhappy housewife, before suddenly turning the lyrical focus on himself: “You talk a lot of shit to not even be number one.”
The music is similarly unsettled. Tracks shift and slip their moorings, lurching from one sound to another, frequently changing completely over the course of a few minutes. Musical ideas gush chaotically forth. Noid is built around distorted, heavy-metal-ish guitars, but the power chords they strike keep abruptly short-circuiting to oddly disquieting effect: a striking sample from 70s Zamrock band Ngozi Family vies for space with Willow Smith’s softly cooing backing vocals. Elsewhere, minimal Neptunes-influenced beats abut lush Beach Boys harmonies, and folky acoustic guitar figures appear alongside lush G-funk-inspired synths and the sound of an 80s R&B slow jam is disturbed by machine-gun drum rolls. It’s held together by a profusion of gasps and grunts and feral barks that thread through the rhythm tracks, lending even the most laid-back tracks a claustrophobic feel.
After an hour, it ends without any real sense of resolution: the closing track is called I Hope You Find Your Way Home, but one doesn’t hold out much hope. It finds Tyler, the Creator still thrashing around – “I’m slipping, I’m slipping … I need a hand” – constantly contradicting himself about his hopes for the future. An album that began with its author denying its existence, Chromakopia ultimately seems to manifest a state of confusion, in which everything is in flux and nothing is quite as it initially seems. It achieves that to enthralling and exhausting effect.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been awarded the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country.
Rodri was handed the award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, organised by the French magazine France Football in collaboration with UEFA.
“A very special day, for me, my family and my country,” Rodri said.
“I understand that because I have no social media, people don’t know me much. I am just a normal guy. I enjoy the sport, I enjoy my profession. And I try to be a good person. I am a very calm person.”
The 28-year-old won his fourth straight Premier League with City in May as Pep Guardiola’s side held off Arsenal’s challenge, winning their last nine games to clinch the title. He is the first player from England’s top tier to be crowned since Cristiano Ronaldo won in 2008 during his first stint with Manchester United.
Rodri’s stiffest competition for the Ballon d’Or came from Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, who refused to travel to Paris for the ceremony after discovering that he would not take home the trophy. Jude Bellingham finished third in the voting.
Vinícius, 24, had been a leading contender to win the 2024 men’s prize after leading Madrid to a LaLiga and Champions League double last season, but sources told ESPN earlier on Monday that neither he nor his fellow Madrid nominees — eight in total across the various awards — would attend the event.
Madrid had been honoured earlier in the ceremony as the men’s team of the year, and Carlo Ancelotti received the coach of the year award, though no representatives of the last Champions League winners were present to accept it.
Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga made it clear what he thought of the vote, calling it “football politics.”
“FOOTBALL POLITICS X. My brother, you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro,” the France international wrote on X along with a photo of him and Vinicius celebrating together.
The awards are based on voting by a panel of journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries.
Rodri was part of the Spain team that won Euro 2024, starting every game except the third group stage match against Albania, and claimed the player of the tournament prize.
He went a world-record 74 games unbeaten for club and country from March 2023 to May 2024, avoiding defeat (other than via penalties) until City’s loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
Rodri becomes the second men’s player born in Spain to win the sport’s most prestigious individual prize, and the first since former Barcelona star Luis Suárez claimed it in 1960.
Real Madrid’s legendary striker Alfredo di Stefano won the award twice, in 1957 and 1959, though he was born in Argentina. The past four Ballons d’Or Féminin have been won by Spanish women (Alexia Putellas in 2021 and 2022 and Aitana Bonmatí in 2023 and 2024).
“Today is not a victory for me, it is for Spanish football, for so many players who have not won it and have deserved it, like [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi [Hernandez], Iker [Casillas], Sergio Busquets, so many others. It is for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder,” Rodri said on stage at the ceremony.
“Today many friends have written to me and have told me that football has won, for giving visibility to so many midfielders who have a job in the shadows and today it is coming to light.”
Rodri is likely to miss the rest of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sept. 22. He collected the prize on crutches on Monday.
That knee injury came just days after he said at a news conference that players could go on strike in response to the ever-growing number of games in the football calendar.
“I am just trying to take care of myself. Rest, enjoy the free time with my family and come back stronger,” Rodri said when asked about his recovery.
Earlier in Paris, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for best under-21 player over the previous season, while Aitana Bonmatí claimed her second consecutive Ballon d’Or Féminin.
Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé shared the Gerd Müller trophy for most goals in the season, while Aston Villa and Argentina stopper Emiliano Martínez retained the prize for best goalkeeper in the world following his country’s Copa América title.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
The 44-year-old supermodel is expecting with her boyfriend, Joaquim Valente, according to reports.
LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images, File
Gisele Bündchen is reportedly pregnant with her third child, her first since her split with ex-husband Tom Brady, People magazine reported in an exclusive on Monday.
The 44-year-old supermodel is expecting with her boyfriend, Joaquim Valente, 35, a Jiu-Jitsu instructor she has been dating since June 2023, according to the magazine, which cited an unnamed “source close to Bündchen.”
Bündchen shares a 14-year-old son, Benjamin, and an 11-year-old daughter, Vivian, with Brady. Brady also has a 17-year-old son, Jack, with his ex-girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan.
Brady and Bündchen finalized their divorce in October 2022.
In an interview with the New York Times earlier this year, Bündchen described her new relationship as “very different.”
“This is the first time I am seeing someone that was a friend of mine first,” she said. “It’s very different. It’s very honest, and it’s very transparent.”
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The supermodel is pregnant with her third child and her first with boyfriend Joaquim Valente, according to People. Bündchen has been dating Valente, who is also her Jiu-Jitsu instructor, since June 2023—although the two were first linked together in late 2022, after paparazzi spotted near her home in Costa Rica’s coast with her two kids.
She shares two children, Benjamin and Vivian, with ex-husband Tom Brady. The couple confirmed their divorce in October 2022. “The decision to end a marriage is never easy but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we spent together and only wish the best for Tom always,” Bündchen wrote on Instagram.
This pregnancy announcement is just the latest page in a new life chapter for Bündchen. After splitting with her football star husband, she relocated to live in Miami full time. “It feels like Brazil—I love how warm people are,” she told Vogue of her new home.
In Vogue’s July 2019 issue, Bündchen, a noted environmentalist, shared that her parenting style is rooted in responsibility and sustainability. “When you have privilege, you have to work extra hard. You want to give to your children because you love them, but is that really what’s best for them? Growing the garden with my kids, they understand they have to nourish it from tiny seeds,” she said. “Ooh, here comes a frost. We lose our plant. And now what? Start again, figure out a new way. Nature is the biggest teacher: She’s always teaching you how to adapt.”
Tyler, The Creator’s seventh studio album ‘Chromakopia’ arrives and continues his torrid stretch as one of rap’s leading stars.
Tyler the Creator attends the the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 20, 2023 in Paris, France.
Pierre Mouton/Getty Images for Louis Vuitton
At long last, Tyler, the Creator has finally returned. Arriving three years after Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, the Creator’s seventh album, Chromakopia, features tributes to the rapper’s every era. Whether it be the breezy synth arrangements on “Take Your Mask Off,” dashing back to Flower Boy, or the grungy battering rams of songs like “Rah Tah Tah” and “Thought I Was Dead” paying homage to Wolf and Cherry Bomb,Chromakopia contains something for everyone. Within this universal and at times nostalgic construction, the album is also incredibly reflective.
Throughout the project, Tyler speaks on his consuming paranoia, his desire for children, and other angsty plights that come simply from growing up. During this 14-track journey, he brings Doechii, Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Daniel Caesar, and many other friends along for the crazy ride, forcing them to enter his wild domain with fantastic results. Despite being seven albums in, Chromakopia is a project with Tyler showing everyone he can still pull something new out of it.
Yet, make no mistake: this is very much a new Tyler era. Following a blockbuster listening party in Los Angeles on Sunday (Oct. 27), Tyler will soon take the album on the road for his Chromakopia: World Tour. The trek will kick off on Feb. 4 in his Los Angeles hometown, and Tyler will be joined by Lil Yachty and Paris Texas. Before all that excitement kicks off, let’s get into the album. Check out Billboard’s track rankings of Tyler’s new album Chromakopia below.
“Like Him”
When held up against the unpredictable genre-mashing of Chromakopia’s other stand-outs, “Like Him” feels slightly formulaic. Tyler’s light coos and the production sounds great, but the steadiness of “Like Him” just doesn’t captivate as much as the album’s more disorienting entries.
“Hey Jane”
Thematically, “Hey Jane” feels relatively surface-level compared to the complex themes explored elsewhere on Chromakopia. While the track itself relaxes and flows with ease, its four-minute runtime drags a bit and brings the energy down just slightly below cruising altitude before skyrocketing it back into the stratosphere with “I Killed You.”
“Judge Judy”
Another love story aided by Childish Gambino, Tyler’s “Judge Judy” feels like a breath of fresh air after the pummeling of “I Killed You,” courtesy of his exuberant vocals. Though “Judge Judy” isn’t a necessary detour from Chromakopia’s barrage, it’s a welcomed breather.
“I Hope You Make Your Way Home”
Chromakopia’s lush and magnetic closer allows Tyler to rattle off a few more stellar bars before wrapping up his latest effort. Though lyrically he doesn’t tread any new territory here, “I Hope You Make Your Way Home” once again twists and turns along the way, leaving Tyler, the Creator fans with one more batch of colorful soundscapes before calling it a day.
“St. Chroma”
Tyler’s intro steps into his latest era perfectly with “St. Chroma.” In a hushed tone, Tyler welcomes fans to his new world, spitting surprisingly hopeful bars alongside some soulful vocals courtesy of Daniel Caesar. The song then flips and disintegrates into bass-thumping madness, which is incredibly on-brand for Tyler, the Creator.
“Thought I Was Dead”
Chromakopia’s tenth track ushers in the album’s last act with absolute pandemonium, and in turn, serves as the perfect setting for Schoolboy Q’s gruff flow. While Chromakopia is layered with deeper metaphors and meanings throughout, “Thought I Was Dead” feels like a song solely made as a “f–k you” to the haters. “White boys mockin’ this s–t and y’all mad at me?/ Y’all can suck my d–k,” Tyler calls out.
“Rah Tah Tah”
As Chromakopia’s second track grinds along, Tyler uses the trunk-rattling backdrop to flex on anyone who stands in his way, (and gives a quick shout-out to Zendaya). The braggadocious nature of “Rah Tah Tah” feels both like an evolution and an homage to Tyler’s day ones, with the suffocating beat harkening back to his Wolf days.
“Take Your Mask Off”
Flower Boy fans will surely rejoice with the sound of “Take Your Mask Off,” as Tyler’s substitutes the boisterous production of Chormakopia for a song filled with sunshine. Tyler takes a moment to speak to the downtrodden and calls out hopeful praise to anyone who feels the need to hide behind masks and suppress their individuality. This in turn fits snuggly within Chromakopia’s presumed theme of self-discovery amidst fame. Driven by piano and ‘80s synths, the song meanders along like a summer breeze.
“Noid”
Tyler, the Creator’s lead single still serves as one of the best tracks on Chromakopia, frankly because of how disorienting its rock-rap backdrop is. As the rapper tussles together a distorted sampling of the Ngozi family’s 45,000 Volts album he commentates on the cultish nature of fame, and the subsequent paranoia that threatens to ruin his life. “Triple checking if I locked the door/ I know every creak that’s in the floor,” he spits.
“I Killed You”
On “I Killed You,” Tyler is right in his bag as he ducks and weaves alongside the beat’s jerking tug-of-war. The beat flips unexpectedly throughout with its barrage of horns and bongo drums threatening to implode, but never actually detonating. All the while, Tyler keeps his cool, rapping breathlessly as his world threatens to cave around him. “Gravity defying, this that element,” Tyler spits, almost acknowledging how cool he remains under “I Killed You’s” disorienting pressure. The song then opens up in its closing moments, like the sun after a storm, allowing Childish Gambino to float in and do his thing.
“Tomorrow”
Tyler’s “Tomorrow” is one of the album’s rawest tracks, and showcases potent lyricism from the California MC. After Chromakopia hurls a ton of brash flexes at the listener, “Tomorrow” seems to slow things down and allows Tyler to reckon with the vanity of his lifestyle. He sees his friends and family starting to have children and notes that all of his purchases feel so insignificant in comparison.
“Yeah my brodie had another baby, that’s like number two/ My homegirl and I tried, she like thirty-two/ They sharin’ pictures of this moment, s–t is really cute/ And all I got is photos of my ‘Rari and some silly suits,” he raps. At 33 years old, “Tomorrow” feels like a very powerful journal entry in the life of Tyler Okonma.
“Balloon”
A brief but enchanting song, “Balloon” pairs some iconic samples (including Luke’s “I Wanna Rock)” alongside glitchy synths that sound like something out of a Mario game. While Tyler thrives, special guest Doechii remains the song’s highlight, as she conquers the bewildering beat. Her verse is so fun and manic that it’ll surely convince people of her undeniable talent.
“Sticky”
“Sticky” is chaotic and unpredictable, with Tyler offering some of Chromakopia’s most rambunctious flexes. “N—a, give a f–k” ‘bout pronouns, I’m that n—a and that b—h,” he raps.
By the time GloRilla and Sexyy Red chime in, “Sticky’s” relentless volley of whistles, chants, and bass causes the rappers to nearly trip and stumble in the best way possible. Sexyy Red is barely able to rattle off more than a few darts before the beat devours her, and even Lil Wayne can’t get a few words in before a blast of horns drowns him out. “Sticky” is a song that pushes its guests far outside their comfort zone, and requires everyone to step into Chromakopia’s world — even if it means a certain death.
“Darling, I”
As one of the only moments of optimistic reprieve on the album, “Darling, I” feels delightfully playful amidst so much of Chromakopia’s looming darkness. As much of the album explores the exploitative nature of celebrity culture, Tyler’s ruminating on his sexuality feels meditative and bright compared to the harsh glum of the project.
Following BYU’s 37-24 road win at UCF where the Cougars were a slight underdog, BYU moved up in one of the premier national rankings again.
Through nine weeks in the 2024 season, the Cougars are 8-0 and sit alone atop the Big 12 standings with a 5-0 conference record.
Where is BYU ranked in the latest Associated Press and coaches polls?
Following a weekend where there were only a handful of top 25 teams that lost and none lost to unranked teams, the Cougars jumped two spots to No. 9 in the Associated Press poll and stayed put at No. 12 in the US LBM Coaches poll.
Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”
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BYU has a bye this week, before facing rival Utah in Salt Lake City on Nov. 9.
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released Nov. 5.
When was the last time BYU was ranked in the top 10?
It’s been more than three years since the Cougars were top 10 in the AP rankings.
Following a 34-20 victory over Utah State in the 2021 season that moved BYU to 5-0, the Cougars came in at No. 10 in the AP poll on Oct. 3 of that year.
BYU lost at home to Boise State the following week, dropping to No. 19 with the loss, and subsequently fell out of the polls after a second straight loss, at Baylor.
The Cougars then won five straight and eventually were ranked as high as No. 12 later that season, before losing to UAB in the Independence Bowl. They ended the year ranked No. 19 in the AP poll with a 10-3 record.
Which Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 25?
There are currently four Big 12 teams in the rankings — three in both polls and another that showed up in the AP rankings this week.
Iowa State (7-0, 4-0 Big 12), which was on a bye this week, fell one spot to No. 11 in the AP poll and stayed at No. 10 in the coaches poll, two spots above BYU.
Kansas State (7-1, 4-1 Big 12), which beat rival Kansas 29-27, fell one spot to No. 17 in the AP rankings and moved up one spot to No. 15 in the coaches poll.
Colorado (6-2, 4-1 Big 12), which beat Cincinnati 34-24, entered the AP rankings at No. 22, while it is one spot out of the top 25 in the coaches poll, as the top vote-getter among other teams receiving votes not in the top 25.
How did the top of the AP and coaches polls shake up after Week 9?
There was minimal movement at the top of the polls.
In the AP poll, there was one change at No. 5, with Oregon at No. 1, Georgia at No. 2, Penn State at No. 3, Ohio State at No. 4 and Miami leapfrogging Texas to take over at No. 5.
In the coaches poll, the top 5 stayed the same, with Oregon at No. 1, Georgia at No. 2, Penn State at No. 3, Ohio State at No. 4 and Miami at No. 5.
The Bengals were without one of their hottest players when wide receiver Tee Higgins was declared out of Sunday’s game against the Eagles at Paycor Stadium.
After grabbing 159 yards on 11 catches in his last two games, Higgins surfaced as limited on Friday’s injury report with a quadricep issue. On Sunday morning he was listed as one of their five inactives.
Since he has returned to the lineup following a hamstring injury in the Thursday practice before the opener wiped out his first two games of the season, Higgins averages 68 yards per game and has three touchdown catches.
Last week in Cleveland, he finished the scoring on a 25-yard touchdown off a slant on third-and-four to cap off an 82-yard day.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, 3-4 without Higgins, found weapons early this season when he was out. Tight end Mike Gesicki had seven catches for 91 in Kansas City, where wide receiver Andrei Iosivas had two red-zone touchdown catches.
BROTHERLY SHOVE
It really is a game of brotherly shove Sunday not even taking into account twins Chase (Bengals) and Sydney (Eagles) Brown.
There is former Bengals backup left tackle Fred Johnson drawing a start for the Eagles against the NFL’s hottest sacker, Trey Hendrickson. Two of the best players out of the University of Toledo, Bengals special teams ace Tycen Anderson and Eagles starting cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, return to Ohio to meet. Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, both Staten Island natives, bring a slice of the Big Apple of the banks of the Ohio.
And there is Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, a fifth-round pick of the Bengals in 2017 returning for the game he never got to play at Paycor. Elliott lost a training camp battle that year to Randy Bullock, but has been the kicker in Philly ever since and become one of the league’s most consistent kickers.
From 2017-2020, Bullock had a field-goal percentage of 85% while Elliott was at 82.2. Then in 2021, the Bengals came back to the fifth round select Evan McPherson, who has had the greatest start to a career of a kicker in franchise history.
While Elliott had the two longest field goals by a rookie to help the Eagles win a Super Bowl, McPherson kicked the Bengals into a Super Bowl with two walk-offs in the playoffs and hasn’t had a miss in 19 postseason field-goal attempts. While Elliott came into this season tied for the second-highest field percentage (90.9%) since 2021, McPherson has the third most 50-yarders since the start of 2021.
It shapes up for an intriguing kicking derby Sunday of Bengals’ fifth-rounders.
SLANTS AND SCREENS
Also inactive for the Bengals is rookie safety Daijahn Anthony for the first time this year …
Also out were three others who have been usually inactive: edge Cedric Johnson, tight end Tanner McLachlan, defensive tackle Jay Tufele…
With Anthony down, defensive tackle Lawrence Guy is up as the Bengals play running back Saquon Barkley for the first time …
The game is nearly 15 years to the day (10/25/09) Bengals running back Cedric Benson set the record for most yards against his old team when he went for 189 against the Bears at Paycor. Barkley came close last week against the Giants with 176 …
Nice touch by the coaches. They sent out Chase and Sydney as one of their captains and they hugged before the coin toss.
And then there is the real “Brotherly Shove,’ otherwise known as “The Push Tush,” that controversial rugby scrum of a short-yardage play the Eagles have run the past three years to almost perfection.
Even with the retirement of Pro Bowl center Jason Kelce this year, the Eagles have been using it well enough to get two one-yard touchdown runs out of it by quarterback Jalen Hurts last week in New York.
“It’s one of those things that has stood the test of time already,” Anarumo said last week. “Big point of emphasis for us is we want to stay out of those downs if we can. But even if it’s a third-and-six, or a long third-and-12, 14, you can’t let it be fourth and two because they’re not going off the field, they’re going to go for it. We’ve talked about how we’re going to approach those things, but it’s very difficult. They don’t get stopped very often. “
Even with Kelce, it’s still breaking bad for foes.
“He was great, but those other guys are still mauling you in there. It’s a rugby scrum to the nth degree,” Anarumo said …
Offensive tackle Andrew Stueber is active for the Bengals and becomes the first player ever from Darien High Schol in Darien, Conn., to play in an NFL game …
