Saturday night’s game between Oregon and USC included a hit from Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II that knocked out Ducks quarterback Dante Moore and sent him to the hospital. Beyond the play itself, the situation was riddled with horrible optics.
Stephens celebrated after the play. He was seen smiling on the sideline before his disqualification.
Then, in the second half, Stephens returned to the USC sideline.
Asked after the game why Stephens was back on the sideline, USC coach Lincoln Riley seemed to be confused by the question. “Because he’s on our football team,” Riley said.
Strangely, NCAA rules allow a “disqualified” player to remain on the sidelines. (An “ejected” player must leave.) It was nevertheless tone deaf for USC to allow him to return.
Stephens deserves a stiff suspension both for the hit and for his antics after it. And there’s no way USC will do that on its own. The NCAA needs to step in and send a clear message about its commitment to player health and safety. If it doesn’t, someone should suggest an amendment to the “Protect College Sports Act” that mandates the NCAA to take a harder line when something like this happens.
While the name of the bill is simply a slogan aimed at getting the NCAA the antitrust exemption it craves, the NCAA coined the term in order to make the bill seem more palatable. So they’re now stuck with it. And, given the chosen title of the bill, how can the NCAA and the federal government “protect college sports” if they don’t also protect college athletes?
PFT Clips
Asked this week if he’ll be playing at some point, Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. told reporters, “Yeah, definitely.”
He wasn’t asked to specify whether that would be with the Steelers or a new team.
As Porter’s contract impasse with the Steelers extends to a third week — and, potentially, a third missed game on Sunday due to “conditioning” — more teams reportedly are reaching out to Pittsburgh about a possible trade.
Last week, the official word from ESPN was that the Steelers had received no “serious inquiries” about Porter. PFT thereafter reported that at least one team has called.
Now, ESPN reports that a “handful” of teams “have begun making inquiries” about a possible trade for Porter. The Steelers reportedly “would be willing to listen,” but they would want a “strong compensation package.”
That’s where a wacky situation gets even more out of whack. If the Steelers want a lot for Porter (we’ve heard it could be as much as a first-round pick or a second-round pick, plus a third-round pick), why won’t they just pay him something closer to what he’s seeking? For the interested teams, the challenge becomes giving the Steelers what they want for Porter while also figuring out a new deal with Porter.
The new report identifies the Lions and Cowboys as teams that have called the Steelers.
Dallas would be an interesting destination, given that Porter is represented by the same agent (David Mulugheta) who represents former Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons. After an ugly contract negotiation, during which Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones disrespected Mulugheta by pretending not to know who he is, the Cowboys traded Parsons to the Packers once it became clear that Parsons would not play without a new contract.
The trade deadline arrives in 44 days, on the Tuesday after Week 9. The sooner a trade happens, the faster the Steelers and Porter extricate themselves from a situation that gets more awkward by the day. Porter clearly isn’t playing because he doesn’t have a new contract, and the Steelers have painted themselves into a corner with their outdated internal rule that new contracts won’t be done after the regular season starts.
The Steelers need a lift on offense. Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. could help to provide it.
Pittman is expected to play on Sunday vs. the 2-0 Bengals, via Adam Schefter of ESPN. Pittman missed the Week 2 loss to the Patriots with a foot injury, and he had been listed as questionable for the Week 3 game.
In his Pittsburgh debut two weeks ago, Pittman had three catches for 58 yards on three targets.
The Steelers’ offense has one touchdown drive in two games, a 31-yard effort against the Falcons in Week 1. Last week, the Steelers were held to three points against the Patriots.
Pittman was traded to the Steelers after his former team, the Colts, signed receiver Alec Pierce to a new contract.
The season may be about half over when Rams defensive end Myles Garrett next takes the field.
Garrett will need about six weeks to recover from knee surgery, according to Ian Rapoport.
After struggling to play through his knee injury in the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the 49ers, Garrett had knee surgery and was placed on injured reserve. By rule, players on injured reserve have to miss at least four weeks, but it appears that Garrett will be out longer than that.
The Rams’ Week 9 game against the Commanders on November 8 now looks like his most likely return date, although Garrett is reportedly hoping to return sooner.
Garrett didn’t practice much in training camp or play at all in the preseason as he dealt with what the team was calling knee swelling. The injury proved to be more significant than thought when Garrett struggled through the Week 1 loss.
The Rams traded for Garrett because they thought he could put them over the top in their quest to win the Super Bowl. He may still do that, but it’s going to be a while before he does anything to help the Rams win.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning was furious after Saturday’s win over USC at the illegal play that knocked Ducks quarterback Dante Moore out of the game and sent him to the hospital.
Moore, a potential first overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, was sliding after running for a first down when he was blasted in the head by USC linebacker Desman Stephens. Lanning did not appreciate it.
“Our guys respect the game. I don’t think you’d ever see that from our players. I don’t think you’d ever see that from our coaches,” Lanning said. “It’s a disgusting play. You don’t want to see it happen. It’s disappointing that it happened. I’m praying that our player’s healthy, and I’m praying that their player can learn from that situation.”
Lanning credited his team for the way it responded to losing its star quarterback.
“In that moment, everybody wants to go get into a street fight, and I thought our players had unbelievable composure in that moment,” Lanning said. “And then they went and played it on the field, which is where the game is meant to be played.”
Lanning indicated that Moore’s prognosis looks good, but said he wasn’t ready to release an update on Moore’s condition.
“Indications are that he’s in recovery, so I don’t want to speak too soon, but he’s moving,” Lanning said. “He has the ability to move, so we’ll continue to assess him, but I don’t want to make any speculation on further thoughts on that before we have further information on him.”
After Moore was taken to a nearby hospital, he was replaced by Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, who had a tremendous game. Raiola completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards, with two touchdowns and no turnovers or sacks, as Oregon won 41-27.
The Herbert brothers could have a special moment today in Buffalo.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s little brother, tight end Patrick Herbert, has been elevated from the Chargers’ practice squad to the active roster. That means the Herberts are set to play together today against the Bills.
When the Chargers added Patrick to their practice squad just before the start of this season, it made the Herberts teammates for the first time since they were at Oregon in 2019. Patrick barely played as a true freshman that year, and Justin never threw him a pass.
The 25-year-old Patrick, who is three years younger than Justin, signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent last year and spent the season on their practice squad. He remained with the Jaguars throughout this offseason.
Patrick spent six seasons at Oregon, playing there from 2019 through 2024. As a freshman he got on the field for two games, while Justin was leading the Ducks to a 12-2 record that culminated in winning the Rose Bowl. During his college career, Patrick caught 31 passes for 388 yards and four touchdowns.
If Justin throws a touchdown pass to Patrick, he’d do something the NFL hasn’t seen in almost a century. Via Sal Paolantonio of ESPN, the last time an NFL player threw a touchdown pass to his brother, it was Red Grange to Gardie Grange for the Chicago Bears against the Minneapolis Red Jackets on October 27, 1929. The only other brother-to-brother touchdown pass was Cobb Rooney to Bill Rooney for the Duluth Kelleys against the Kenosha Maroons on October 26, 1924.
In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Vikings-Bears game in Chicago, a wicked hit sent Minnesota running back Aaron Jones’s helmet flying. Jones remained in the game.
The player who delivered the hit has been fined.
The NFL imposed a $22,342 sanction on Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson for impermissible use of the helmet. The rulebook prohibits a player from lowering his head and making forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent.
The infraction was not flagged; it rarely is. Typically, the situation is addressed with the imposition of a fine.
Impermissible use of the helmet is not one of the five violations that will result in an automatic suspension if there are three violations.
The final years of Aaron Rodgers’s career aren’t going as well as the rest of it.
He currently has gone seven straight games without throwing multiple touchdown passes. Via NBC Sports research, an eighth game would match the longest streak of his career, which also has happened after he won his fourth NFL MVP award.
From 2022 with the Packers through a quick exit with a torn Achilles tendon in 2023 to the first game of 2024, Rodgers went eight straight games without throwing multiple touchdown passes.
For the season, Rodgers has one touchdown pass and one interception, and a passer rating on 72.1.
On the bright side, a win over the Bengals would tie him with former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the fifth most in NFL history, with 165.
Last week, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott set the team’s all-time passing touchdown record. Another mark is on the table for Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.
Via NBC Sports research, a win by the Cowboys would tie him with Hall of Famer Roger Staubach for the second-most wins in franchise history, at 85. (Troy Aikman holds the record, with 94.)
Prescott also needs one touchdown pass to get to 250 for his career. If he does it tomorrow, he’ll be the ninth fastest in NFL history to reach that mark, in 142 games.
The 1-1 Cowboys need a win to avoid their third straight 1-2 start.
Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray’s return from a Week 1 concussion adds a separate wrinkle to the Week 3 game against the Buccaneers.
The game means that former Oklahoma teammates Murray and Baker Mayfield will have their fourth NFL meeting. Murray leads, 3-0.
Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma in 2017. Murray replaced Mayfield in 2018, and then Murray won it.
Their personal rivalry takes a back seat to the bigger picture. The Vikings hope to get to 3-0, and the Buccaneers need to avoid slipping to 0-3.
And there’s one interesting wrinkle that plays into the home team’s favor. Mayfield has faced a Brian Flores defense twice in his career. In 2019, Mayfield and the Browns beat the Dolphins. In 2023, Mayfield and the Bucs stunned the Vikings in Flores’s first game as the team’s defensive coordinator. Mayfield had five touchdown passes and one interception in those two games.
