FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Isaac Sopoaga turned 32 years old nearly two months ago. The massive nose tackle received a belated birthday gift earlier this week.
The New England Patriots acquired Sopoaga in a trade Tuesday with the Philadelphia Eagles, adding him just before the trading deadline in an effort to bolster a depleted defense that’s struggled recently against the run.
Thursday’s game
WHO: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Miami Dolphins (3-4)
WHEN: 8:25 p.m.
TELEVISION: NFL Network
OUTLOOK: Cincinnati and hot QB Andy Dalton have won four in a row coming off a 49-9 spank of the Jets, while reeling Miami dropped its fourth in a row last week in that embarrassing collapse of 24 consecutive points allowed at New England. So why does my gut feeling keep pointing the other way? Some of it is simply that Miami is home and far more desperate.
THE PICK: Miami, 24-20.
– Greg Cote, Miami Herald
Additional Photos
“Today is my daughter’s fourth birthday but I feel like yesterday and today is my birthday,” said Sopoaga, a proven run stopper who started seven of the Eagles’ first eight games. “The Patriots, you know, it’s like a dream come true, to be honest. Respect these guys the last 10 years. They won (the Super Bowl) three times. It’s just an awesome feeling.”
He has started in 87 of 133 career games with 465 tackles, 7½ sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
EAGLES: Two weeks after suffering a concussion, quarterback Nick Foles will start in place of Michael Vick, who is out for the second time this season with a hamstring injury.
BILLS: Quarterback Thad Lewis missed practice because of sore ribs and is “50-50” to play Sunday against Kansas City, Coach Doug Marrone said.
REDSKINS: Representatives of the Oneida Indian Nation requested a meeting with all 32 NFL owners during Super Bowl week, hoping to persuade them to get the Washington franchise to drop the nickname Redskins.
RAVENS: The team released safety Michael Huff and defensive lineman Marcus Spears, and promoted safeties Omar Brown and Brynden Trawick from the practice squad.
RAIDERS: Linebacker Miles Burris practiced for the first time since undergoing knee surgery in January.
DOLPHINS: Right tackle Jonathan Martin is doubtful for the game Thursday night against Cincinnati because of illness.
PANTHERS: Running back Jonathan Stewart said he’s “ready” to play after sitting out 11 months with an ankle injury.
VIKINGS: Coach Leslie Frazier said he has a quarterback starter in mind, either Josh Freeman or Christian Ponder, but he won’t make an announcement until Friday.
BROWNS: Jon Sandusky, the director of player personnel, pleaded guilty in Fargo, N.D., to refusing a chemical test when he was pulled over for suspicion of drunken driving.
TITANS: Tennessee placed center Rob Turner on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury and signed veteran offensive lineman Pat McQuistan to take his place on the roster.
BENGALS: The team put safety Taylor Mays on injured reserve with a dislocated right shoulder, ending his season.
CHIEFS: Kansas City waived tight end Kevin Brock and elevated offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.