NFL roundup: Paxton Lynch to start for Denver against the Raiders
By Brad Weiss
In their NFL Week 12 matchup against the Oakland Raiders, the Denver Broncos will roll with Paxton Lynch under center on Sunday.
The NFL season can be a long one, and for Denver Broncos fans, this year might seem longer than usual. Starting the season with Trevor Siemian under center, the fans saw the team turn to Brock Osweiler, and will now be handing the football to a third starter. That man is Paxton Lynch, their 2016 first round selection, who will finally get a chance to prove he should be the long-term solution in Denver at the quarterback position.
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted a good one in JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has been a breakout player as a rookie in 2017. Smith-Schuster has taken over the WR2 duties from Martavis Bryant, reeling in 33 catches for 568 yards and five touchdowns. The former USC Trojan is currently dealing with a minor hamstring injury, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be ready to go when the Steelers take on Green Bay this weekend.
Staying with injured stars, it looks like Tyron Smith may make his return to action this Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Dallas Cowboys have struggled without their star offensive tackle the last two weeks, losing to the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas will be without Sean Lee and Ezekiel Elliott against the Chargers on Thanksgiving Day, and the hope is they will at least have their best offensive lineman available against a tough Chargers pass rush.
Coming into the 2017 season, the Oakland Raiders were supposed to be a contender in teh AFC. However, after their first ten games of the season, the Silver and Black are sitting at 4-6, and are fresh off an embarrassing loss at the hands of the New England Patriots. Because of that, someone had to go, and the organization let go of defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. on Tuesday. Assistant head coach John Pagano will take over for KNJ, with his first matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Next: NFL quarterback rankings, Week 12: Dak Prescott struggling
Usually known for being mild-mannered, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning rallied the troops on Sunday. Prior to their big win against the Kansas City Chiefs, Manning gave the team a fiery pep talk, and it certainly seemed to work. Nobody gave the 1-8 Giants much of a chance against the 6-3 Chiefs, but the G-Men went out and pulled out the victory in front of their home fans inside MetLife Stadium in Week 11.