LDN - Sports

National Football League roundup

[December 12, 2016] Dec 11 (The Sports Xchange) - Atlanta All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones missed the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Jones did not practice this past week because of a turf toe injury. He did participate in Saturday's walkthrough and was a game-time decision.

He suffered the injury in the Falcons' loss to Kansas City last week. Jones has 72 receptions and leads the league in receiving yards with 1,253 yards.

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San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon was taken from the field on a cart after suffering a first-quarter hip injury during the game against the Carolina Panthers.

The injury occurred as Gordon was hit from behind when players pursued a fumble after quarterback Philip Rivers was stripped. Carolina recovered.

Chargers rookie defensive end Joey Bosa also was knocked out of the game with a neck injury. Bosa, a first-round pick out of Ohio State, was injured as he sacked Cam Newton with 6:29 remaining in the second quarter. He was being evaluated for a concussion.

Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess left the game on the team's first series when he fell hard to the ground and was unable to hold onto to the ball. The team reported that Funchess sustained a mouth injury.

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New York Jets running back Matt Forte was among a number of players who left Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Forte suffered a knee injury in the first quarter and didn't return. Other Jets who were injured were starting cornerback Buster Skrine (concussion) and reserve safety Marcus Gilchrist (knee).

Meanwhile, 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith suffered a concussion in the third quarter and was ruled out. Tight end Vance McDonald suffered a shoulder injury, while starting center Daniel Kilgore left due to a leg injury.

Regular starting left guard Zane Beadles opened the game at left tackle in place of Joe Staley, who missed the game with a hamstring injury.

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Detroit Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah suffered a shoulder injury late in the first half in the game against the Chicago Bears.

Ansah slammed his helmet to the Ford Field turf before retreating to the locker room for further examination.

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Philadelphia Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos left the game against the Washington Redskins with a wrist injury.

Eagles running back and returner Darren Sproles was injured when he was hit illegally by Deshazor Everett while attempting to field a punt in the fourth quarter.

Sproles was helped to the locker room, where he was diagnosed with a head injury, while Everett was flagged for a 15-yard penalty.

Redskins middle linebacker Will Compton injured a knee in the third quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

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Buffalo Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn left the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of a back injury, but he returned to start the second half.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Mike Mitchell injured his left knee in the first quarter of Sunday's game but was later cleared to return. The Steelers were already without reserve safety Shamarko Thomas (concussion).

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Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright missed team meetings on Saturday and also missed Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos.

Wright will be a free agent at the end of the season.

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NFL owners, meeting this week in Dallas, reportedly will be told the projected salary cap for 2017 is expected to increase by up to $10 million.

Next season's cap will be somewhere between $163 million and $165 million, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

This season's salary cap is $155.27 million. The precise figures will not be known until shortly before the league year begins in March.

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The race is on for the first overall pick in the NFL Draft on April 27 and the clubhouse leader right now is Cleveland.

The Browns are 0-13 after Sunday's loss to Cincinnati, and hold the edge over the San Francisco 49ers.

According to ESPN.com, the Browns will select Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett with the top pick should they have the chance.

That means the Browns would pass on a potential franchise quarterback, perhaps DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame or Mitch Trubisky of North Carolina. Many expect Kizer, a junior, to announce he will turn pro as soon as this week.

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The NFL quickly put an end to a report the league could be facing another Deflategate scandal.

The league issued a statement Sunday that said there were no issues with the footballs used in last Sunday's New York Giants-Pittsburgh Steelers game, after Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that two of the game balls were found to be underinflated.

"The officiating game ball procedures were followed and there were no chain of command issues," the NFL said in the statement. "All footballs were in compliance and no formal complaint was filed by the Giants with our office."

The report revived the long-running Deflategate discussion. New England quarterback Tom Brady was suspended four games without pay by the NFL to start the 2016 season after the league determined he had knowledge of the Patriots using deflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game in 2015 against the Indianapolis Colts. (Editing by Andrew Both)

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