New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has hit out at his own coaching staff, rather than his players, following Monday's defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The reigning Super Bowl champions got back on track as Tom Brady led the way with a pair of touchdown passes in a 30-10 rout at Raymond Jones Stadium.
Tampa's victory snapped a two-game losing streak to take them to 7-3 for 2021, after successive road defeats to the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Football Team.
New York (3-7) scored on two of their first three possessions – highlighted by a TD catch by tackle Andrew Thomas – to keep the game tight at 10-10 midway through the second quarter but could not put a point on the board from there as Brady, who completed 30 of 46 passes for 307 yards, stamped his authority on proceedings.
While the Bucs top the NFC South, the Giants are rooted to the foot of the NFC East with a 3-7 record in 2021, and Judge shouldered the blame.
"Credit to the Buccaneers. They're a well-coached team, very talented and obviously deserved to win tonight," he told reporters.
"We gotta do a better job putting our players in position to make plays. We’ve got too many good players, we've got to put them in a better position to capitalise on it.
"That's it. We got to make sure we sit down tomorrow as a coaching staff and understand how we've got to play this game and give our players a chance to make plays.
"In reference to the body language [from the players] at the end of the game, I'll handle the corrections we have to make, but as a player, there'd be some things that I'd be frustrated with as well."
Asked if he believed the coaching was the Giants' main issue, Judge added: "Yeah you can put that down tonight. You guys can write that.
"Now the players have got to execute, that's their job. It's our job to teach them, it's their job to go out and execute. But we've got to make sure we keep putting them in a position to have success."
Brady hit Chris Godwin for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game and teed up Mike Evans for a five-yard score midway through the third quarter.
Evans' touchdown was the 72nd of his Buccaneers career, breaking the franchise record of 71 previously held by Mike Alstott.
Ronald Jones ran for another Tampa Bay touchdown and Ryan Succop made all three of his field goal attempts for the Bucs.
Panthers quarterback Young unlikely to play against Seahawks due to injured ankle
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is dealing with an ankle injury and is unlikely to play in Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Young missed his second straight day of practice Thursday, and the winless Panthers released a statement on social media saying he isn't expected to play.
The top pick of this year's draft evidently injured his ankle during Carolina's 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, but coach Frank Reich wasn't sure when. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said the injury occurred in the first half, but Young never came out and didn't tell anyone until after the game.
With Young expected to sit, Andy Dalton will make his first start with the Panthers after starting 14 games for the Saints last season.
Young has started each of Carolina's first two losses and is experiencing the growing pains that come with being a rookie quarterback.
He ranks 31st in QB rating (66.6) while throwing for 299 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He's completing 59.2 per cent of his passes and his average of 4.21 yards per attempt is the worst in the NFL among starting quarterbacks.
Without a viable passing game, the Panthers are 28th in total offence and are tied for last in scoring.
Dalton, a 13-year-veteran, is 83-77-2 as a starter with 244 TD passes and 144 interceptions. Carolina will be the fifth franchise he starts a game for following one-year stints with Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans from 2020-22 after spending his first nine pro seasons with Cincinnati.
Dallas Cowboys CB Diggs reportedly tears ACL
Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs will reportedly miss the rest of the 2023 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Thursday's practice.
NFL.com reports that an MRI confirmed the extent of the injury, which Diggs sustained during a one-on-one drill. The fourth-year standout was later spotted on crutches at the Cowboys' training facility, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Diggs' absence is a major blow to a Dallas team that's outscored the opposition by a 70-10 margin in winning its first two games. The 25-year-old's 18 interceptions since entering the NFL in 2020 are tied for the most by any player over that span.
A second-round pick by Dallas in 2020, Diggs earned first team All-Pro honours in 2021 by recording a league-leading 11 interceptions, the most by any player in a single season since the Cowboys' Everson Walls also had 11 in 1981.
Diggs was off to another strong start in 2023, as he allowed just two completions on nine pass attempts thrown his way for a total of 26 yards to go along with one interception.
"Saw that I guess a couple of you saw (Diggs injured) out there on the field," Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott told reporters following Thursday's practice. "Prayers, hoping for the best, simple as that.”
Diggs had just signed a five-year, $97 million extension in training camp that will keep him under contract through the 2028 season.
The Cowboys do have depth at cornerback after acquiring 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts in March to form a trio with Diggs and DaRon Bland, the team's leader with five interceptions in 2022.
Dallas could move Bland from the slot into Diggs' outside position with Jourdan Lewis taking over the nickel role. Lewis started 30 games over the previous three seasons, but has been eased into action in 2023 due to a foot injury that limited him to just six games last season.
Vikings acquire running back Akers from Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have found a taker for Cam Akers, trading the running back to the Minnesota Vikings.
The deal was completed on Wednesday, with the teams swapping draft picks in 2026.
Akers was a healthy scratch in last Sunday's 30-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and the Rams confirmed this week they were looking for a trade partner.
A trade to Minnesota reunites Akers with Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, who served as offensive coordinator for the Rams in Akers' first two NFL seasons.
The Vikings' ground game needs some help, averaging a league-low 34.5 rushing yards per game and 2.65 yards per attempt.
Alexander Mattison was given the No. 1 running back job as Minnesota opted to trade Dalvin Cook this offseason, but he's managed just 62 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Akers hasn't been any better this year, finishing with 29 rushing yards on 22 attempts in the Rams' 30-13 season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks.
He is, however, coming off a career-high 786 rushing yards last season.
Drafted in the second round in 2020, the 24-year-old Akers, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, rushed for 625 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.
A preseason Achilles tendon tear wiped out nearly all of his second season, but he was able to return for the regular-season finale and rush for 172 yards in four playoff games to help the Rams capture the Super Bowl.
Los Angeles is now moving forward at running back with Kyren Williams.
The second-year back made his first career start last week and ran for 52 yards with a touchdown on 14 carries after rushing for 52 yards with two TDs in Week 1.
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